Republic golfer Dylan Bekemeier raised a few eyebrows when he told his state tournament competitors that he was only a sophomore. He raised the rest of them when he proceeded to blow away the field, winning the Class 3 championship by five strokes. Bekemeier shot a 140 for the tournament. That was the second-best 36-hole score in MSHSAA history.

Bekemeier shot an even-par 72 during the tournament’s first day to put himself in contention. He birdied four of the first six holes on the second day to seize the lead. Then he sank a 60-foot putt on the 17th hole to put an exclamation mark on his victory.

Throughout the final day, Bekemeier knew he was playing well, but had no idea whether he was in the lead. Four other contenders, including the two leaders at the start of the day, were behind him.

“The entire round, I was wanting someone to go ask how they were doing. I wanted to know how I stood,” Bekemeier said.

Coach Ben Wolfinbarger intentionally withheld the other scores from Bekemeier to keep him focused. “I didn’t want to tell him. Coming down the stretch, I don’t think he hit a bad shot from 13 on. It was unbelievable.”

“It’s ridiculous,” Bekemeier said of his championship. “I wasn’t favored, but to come out here and show everybody I can play, it’s pretty nice.”

It was nice enough to earn your vote as the #2 Republic Tiger Sports story of 2011-2012.